Today Graco, a popular manufacturer of infant and toddler car seats announced a recall of harness buckles used on approximately 1.9 million infant car seats manufactured between July 2010 and May 2013. The recall was issued after reports of the buckles being difficult to open. Graco is offering consumers with affected seats, and even those that would like to upgrade their buckle a free replacement kit. Below is a statement issued by Graco this morning:
“As part of our continuous product testing and improvement process, Graco identified that some of the harness buckles used on our infant and toddler car seats are difficult to open. In response, we are recalling the harness buckles used on select infant, toddler convertible car seats and harnessed booster seats.
There have been no reported injuries related to this issue or the safe use of the car seats. Graco will continue to offer a free replacement buckle to any consumer who has a toddler car seat or infant car seat not included in this recall, but would like to update their buckle to Graco’s current buckle design.
Consumers can determine if their infant and toddler car seats are affected and order a replacement harness buckle using our online order form. While waiting for a replacement kit, it is safe to use the infant and toddler car seat. If the buckle becomes sticky or difficult to open, Graco recommends cleaning it by following the cleaning instructions as this will definitely make the buckle easier to use. Our car seats have been carefully engineered and rigorously crash tested to meet or exceed every safety standard set forth by the federal government.For additional questions, contact our customer service team (Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. EST).”
It turns out that R’s car seat is one of the seats affected by this new recall. I went ahead and submitted the form on Graco’s website in order to get my replacement harness and the whole process only took about 5 minutes. It is well worth the time investment to make sure your car seats are up to date!
For more information or to check if your specific seat model is included in the recall, visit www.GracoBuckleRecall.com or call 877-766-7470.
